It seems odd that the urge still exists to call Consequence a drum & bass producer—he hasn't touched the genre in ages. After the waning flicker of melancholy that was his last album, Test Dream, he lands on Pushing Red with two considerably more upbeat tracks that sit somewhere between bass music and techno.
Of the two, "Atrium" is the banger: snares ping back and forth aggressively around the kind of pitch-bent sci-fi synth that Consequence loves so much. Gaseous melodies float through old Reese basslines, lending the track a propulsive feeling as if it's taking flight. "Box Rituals" pulls things down to a more familiar realm. The drums seem to rattle, and the synth lead quivers meekly at first. It eventually blooms into a huge chorus of strings and sighing vocals, but the feeling is more resigned than triumphant. Regardless, it shows that after his string of difficult, experimental work, Consequence can still bang 'em out with the best of them, whichever label you slap on him.
Buy Consequence - Atrium / Box Rituals at
Tracklist: Consequence - Atrium / Box Rituals
 A Atrium
B Box Rituals
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